tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post116017553754143503..comments2023-10-23T00:04:35.356-04:00Comments on The Vault of Buncheness: ON NOT BEING "BLACK" ENOUGHBunche (pop culture ronin)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11831085937894725459noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-21081393618874539692011-03-17T18:54:47.641-04:002011-03-17T18:54:47.641-04:00One day I'd love to introduce you to my friend...One day I'd love to introduce you to my friend Charles, a/k/a Ash, because he's basically a darker you. More into the occult and death metal though. <br /><br />The woman in front of me in my cube farm is black. She's originally from western Virginia but has lived in Richmond for a long time. On the phone or with me and my fellow co-workers her voice is "white." But if she's talking to her mother and sister on the phone (which she does frequently) I can guarantee that within three minutes she'll start talking "black." Lots of "mm-HMM," "I know that's right," that staccato voice that repeats endless phrases. When I hear her say "Mom" or her sister's name I immediately reach for my headphones. Ironically she doesn't do this with her son, who works for the same company. He sounds very white as well and is marrying a white woman. Interesting, yet annoying.Trishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-33972182556034212882011-03-17T17:24:01.441-04:002011-03-17T17:24:01.441-04:00This was a great article Bunche! I identified with...This was a great article Bunche! I identified with you greatly. Growing up I was told I spoke too intelligently and listened to too much white music (Depeche Mode, New Order, The Smiths and The Cure to name a few). "You're Dominican?" I was told. I was blessed however with awesome friends growing up who were into the same thing and accepted me for who I was. Now as a father I'm trying to teach my daughter these valuable lessons as she's a product of a white French woman and a dark-skinned Dominican.<br /><br />You are who you are and if "they" don't like it, fuck 'em! Look into a mirror and if love that visage then that's all that matters. Lucky are those that are able to call you friend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-49687563447402221312011-03-17T00:29:36.577-04:002011-03-17T00:29:36.577-04:00I have the same problem, I'm 16 years old and ...I have the same problem, I'm 16 years old and I've been having this problem since 7th grade. When I was in elementary school I had mostly white upper middle class friends who were girly and sweet and we never once questioned each others race, we were considered preppy little girls.<br /><br />When jr high hit half of our group transfered to a private school downtown going from 6 leaving just 3 of us. Thats when we split up to "find ourselves" as everyone does in jr high. We remained friends but we weren't as close. And my new friends(even though they loved and stuck up for me) always considered me a white girl in a black girls body. They were majority white, so they thought I would take it as a compliment. All I could think was why can't I just be me? Even though I'm sure they didn't mean any harm by it, it still hurt. Same with my family and their little comments, despite none of us being "ghetto or hood"<br />My grandmother who came from a white mother and black father in her time would be considered "high mulatto" in her youth, was sometimes held down by rasicim. On my mothers side its a big mix of white, black, french, creole, and indian, therefore she was born tan with good hair. My father side is mostly black. Me and my sister got what was considered bad hair from my dad, while my brother got my mothers traits. This is why I only look like my mother face wise. I've never felt beautiful or accepted.<br /><br />Just recently, we were discussing song choice for our talented singing program auditions. We showed our mother the songs we were thinking about chossing, and she replied "Don't you know any songs by black people?" She then chose to go through songs by erika badu, lauryn hill, and jill scott. While they are great artist they are nowhere near my vocal range so I said "those are good songs but I can't sing them" and my sister replied "Becuase you sing like a white girl" I gigled but it really hurt me inside. It was like I wasn't good enough. I even cried later on that night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-58086141523309965852008-03-02T17:07:00.000-05:002008-03-02T17:07:00.000-05:00Hi. I can totally relate to your blog. I am almost...Hi. I can totally relate to your blog. I am almost 25, but ever since I was 11, most of the black people that I've come across have teased me and made me feel like an outsider. "I talk too proper(ly), I dress white, I'm too quiet, etc." Some blacks even told me that I think I was trying to be white because my hair was NOT straightened. Last I checked, blacks, not whites, had "kinks." I love 80s New Wave over the most but my favorite musician is Prince, I like a lot of older movies, especially obscure 70s/80s horror movies, I like reading, and I'm a trivia nut. I can't help what I like, and why are they worried about it anyway?<BR/><BR/>These days, I'm more open about the type of stuff that interests, but I am still a little self-conscious about my voice. I also admit that I can act a bit snobbish towards most blacks when I first meet them because I'm so used to being rejected by them, and there are times when I'm wrong about some. I just remind myself to keep moving forward in the world (I just graduated from college) and not let "ghetto-minded" people to bring me down because they probably won't accomplish much in life anyway.<BR/><BR/>--MonaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1161755892133688252006-10-25T01:58:00.000-04:002006-10-25T01:58:00.000-04:00Do white people sit around accussing each other of...Do white people sit around accussing each other of not being white enough? Is there anything as self-defeating as the time wasted on conversations around "you're aren't Black enough?" <BR/><BR/>You know what, the "white man" doesn't have to do one more thing to oppress us, we do it to ourselves.<BR/><BR/>My refrain is "Why, after over 500 year of slavery, oppression, and apathy, have we not resolved ourselves to the fact that some of 'them' don't like 'us' and many of 'them' just aren't concerned enough to care?"<BR/><BR/>Does my attitude let people who seek to oppress and repress us off the hook? No!<BR/><BR/>But by now we should expect it and reject it. We should be taking advantage of every opportunity, tragedy, and injustice to HELP each other, not beat each other up. <BR/><BR/>My own family has asked me to if I know I'm Black. The last time I checked, I looked just like them.<BR/><BR/>I just don't care any more. All I want to know is "Is my God pleased with me?" Because no one here on earth has a heaven or hell to put me in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160402002443215452006-10-09T09:53:00.000-04:002006-10-09T09:53:00.000-04:00I hate when people tell me I'm not black enough.XO...I hate when people tell me I'm not black enough.<BR/>XOXO Jen V. G.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160388174973958892006-10-09T06:02:00.000-04:002006-10-09T06:02:00.000-04:00I'll tell you what's "Black enough", Bunche: the t...I'll tell you what's "Black enough", Bunche: the template of your blog! Fer fuck's sake, lighten it up... it hurts my eyes!<BR/><BR/>Anyway, as for the content of your article... good stuff. Just be thankful you weren't derised as "Duracell", "Copper top", "Carrot top" and "Freckle face" all your school days...Chris Westonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11985544401929303121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160336350911614672006-10-08T15:39:00.000-04:002006-10-08T15:39:00.000-04:00Man, if you're not black -- what the hell did you ...Man, if you're not black -- what the hell did you do with my hubcaps?<BR/><BR/>You're something better than simply black, white, whatever Bunche -- you're you, and that makes you absolutely priceless.Chezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06125538523345637439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160312735770074302006-10-08T09:05:00.000-04:002006-10-08T09:05:00.000-04:00"My perceived failure at 'Blackness' has much to d...<I>"My perceived failure at 'Blackness' has much to do with my non-interest in defining myself by the image of Black people put forth by the media, both Black and White."</I><BR/><BR/>Yes!<BR/><BR/>Like you, I have spent my entire life being told that I am not black enough. I'm too geeky, too articulate, too careful with my enunciation and use of the English language, I don't have the right interests... the list goes on and on. And not a damned soul ever seems to think that perhaps it's not that I'm not black enough, but that their definition of a black person is too constricted to encompass reality.<BR/><BR/>It just gets tiresome and annoying-to-infuriating. When I'm polite, I simply say, "Just because I don't fit your idea of blackness doesn't mean I'm not black." Otherwise, I will cordially invite people to shove it, and take their stupidity elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>And I'm completely with you on the BEIGE POWER, though I think of mine as more strong-Darjeeling-with-light-cream.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160275973519606162006-10-07T22:52:00.000-04:002006-10-07T22:52:00.000-04:00People like you can't be categorized.My friend rec...People like you can't be categorized.<BR/><BR/>My friend recently posted about a study re: skin shade and employment success. Although I'm not sure if beige is in there. I've heard about this before, only they were calling it "the glass ceiling." Insane:<BR/><BR/>http://philltology.blogspot.com/2006/09/blacker-berry.html<BR/><BR/>Is that Darlene from Roseanne in that picture with you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415178.post-1160214846251967892006-10-07T05:54:00.000-04:002006-10-07T05:54:00.000-04:00As a half Scandinavian, half hispanic I can kind o...As a half Scandinavian, half hispanic I can kind of identify with this. I lived in Finland as a child and had blazing white/blonde hair and brown eyes. I was always stared at, though more out of curiosity than derision. At most, I might be asked if one of my parents were a gypsy. <BR/><BR/>It was the hispanic side of my family who were harder to deal with. Many times I was treated as some sort of weirdo who didn't belong. They would speak about me in spanish with me right in the room knowing I didn't speak the language. Hispanic friends who came to visit (especially older ones) weren't the nicest people either. There was always this sense that by not behaving or looking hispanic, I must've thought I was better than them and therefore deserving of assholish treatment.<BR/><BR/>The weird part was having cousins who looked slightly more hispanic (their mother was a brunette german) who also didn't speak the language but sported these ridiculous spanish accents. And they were generally treated better.<BR/><BR/>You know what dude, fuck 'em. You are who you are and the world is a very different place nowadays. If some people aren't going to progress with it then who needs that bullshit? There are plenty of others out there who will respect what's really important: the content of your character.<BR/><BR/>(That's right! I quoted Dr. King! Oh snap!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com